classic33
Leg End Member
Wonder who'll be given the information from the meter, in cases like this.
Smart energy meters, should I/shouldn't I?
- Thread starter I like Skol
- Start date
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wormo
Guru
- Location
- Warrington
No choice in matter all homes to have smart meters by 2020. Problem is that govt have given those organisations so little time to do this over, that training is being done on the job.
classic33
Leg End Member
You can refuse. The 2020 date was/is only a "hope for" date.
wormo
Guru
- Location
- Warrington
Other half is involved in roll out of these and they have been told all houses to be fitted. No refusals. That's what govt have told them.
swansonj
Guru
That's what government are saying in order to maximise the take-up - you don't get good success rates by starting with an admission that you don't really care. But multiple sources agree that, as long as the take-up is readonably high, no-one is going to use legal powers to enforce on the last few refusers.
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
They are not compulsory - you can refuse
Don't believe any correspondence or phone calls you get, implying that you have no choice.
However, if you have an old meter that needs replacing, you may have to settle for whatever gets installed.
I said no to Eon putting them in my house. They didn't kick up much of a fuss anyway - the phone signal is pants where I live
The women at the office (who eats crisps on the outside of her head) had smart meters installed a few years ago. She still has to ring up British Gas to submit readings.
Don't believe any correspondence or phone calls you get, implying that you have no choice.
However, if you have an old meter that needs replacing, you may have to settle for whatever gets installed.
I said no to Eon putting them in my house. They didn't kick up much of a fuss anyway - the phone signal is pants where I live
The women at the office (who eats crisps on the outside of her head) had smart meters installed a few years ago. She still has to ring up British Gas to submit readings.
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classic33
Leg End Member
British Gas have already been told No. Then they admitted that it was possible to refuse, not before.
wormo
Guru
- Location
- Warrington
Fine, you guys know best. I had if from somebody high up in the industry.
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
If you get a chance to get it on catch up - have a look at last night's BBC Watchdog
byegad
Legendary Member
- Location
- NE England
Remember, the reason they want us all to have smart meters is so that, once we are all on board, they can charge more for power and gas at peak times. The longer some of us hold out the longer it will be before they can change the rate by the minute if they so wish.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Damn straight. Chez Drago shall be the last bastion of 1930's mechanical meter goodness.
swansonj
Guru
Translation: the longer some of you hold out, the longer it is before as a society as a whole we start facing up to the environmental costs of our lifestyle choices and start adjusting our behaviour accordingly.
Electricity generated at peak hours does not cost the same as electricity generated off-peak: why should we expect to pay the same?
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Do they use cheaper coal at night then?
Well its darker at night so the coal doesn't have to be so black
byegad
Legendary Member
- Location
- NE England
Such naivety!
Those providers who have us over a barrel, for food, energy and the like will always charge the maximum the market will bare. Given the chance to lower off-peak prices and raise peak prices, they will always raise the price for peak well above the reduction for off-peak.
See petrol price rises when crude goes up versus petrol price reductions when crude goes down. The former is the day after crude goes up, the latter goes down three months after the price of crude goes down!
